mettlesome

1 having much high-spirited energy and movement the mettlesome opening dance number got the audience all jazzed up Synonyms active, airy, animate, animated, bouncing, brisk, energetic, frisky, gay, jaunty, jazzy, kinetic, lively, peppy, perky, pert, pizzazzy (or pizazzy), racy, snappy, spanking, sparky, spirited, sprightly, springy, vital, vivacious, zippyRelated Words dapper, dashing, spiffy; agog, alert, awake, open-eyed, up, wide-awake; agile, nimble, spry; bright, buoyant, cheerful, chipper, chirpy, chirrupy, effervescent, sparkly, upbeat; eager, enthusiastic, keen; frolicsome, impish, pixieish, playful; boisterous, bubbly, ebullient, exuberant, high-spirited; high-strung, nervous, skittishNear Antonyms indolent, lazy, unambitious; inert, lethargic, sleepy, sluggish, tired, torpid, weary; apathetic, impassive, phlegmatic, stolid; boring, dull, irksome, tediousAntonyms dead, inactive, inanimate, lackadaisical, languid, languishing, languorous, leaden, lifeless, limp, listless, spiritless, vapid

2 marked by a lively display of strong feeling a mettlesome debate on the teaching of evolution in the schools Synonyms fiery, gingery, high-spirited, spirited, peppery, spunkyRelated Words aggressive, ambitious, assertive, high-pressure, in-your-face, militant, pushy; animate, animated, bouncing, bouncy, brisk, energetic, feisty, frisky, jaunty, jazzy, kinetic, peppy, perky, pert, racy, scrappy, snappy, spanking, sparky, sprightly, springy, vital, vivacious, zippy; ardent, fervent, impassioned, passionate; emphatic, obtrusiveNear Antonyms bloodless, boring, dull, lifeless; dead, inanimate, lackadaisical, languid, languorous, limp, listless; inert, lethargic, sleepy, sluggish, tired, torpid; low-pressure, nonassertive, unaggressive, unambitious, unassertive, unenterprisingAntonyms halfhearted, leaden, spiritless